By MOOK Scenic Spots Home Travel Life Network Editorial Team
Every year around the 18th day of the 7th lunar month, numerous visitors head to Hangzhou to catch the annual Qiantang River tidal bore. Also called the Ghost King Tide, the Qiantang tide is world-famous for its overwhelming force and magnificent views. Its “silver thread across the river” charges forward with the might of thousands of horses, roaring and crashing against the seawall. The surging tide forms a towering wall of water that sweeps in with a deafening roar, earning it the title of “a wonder under heaven.”
The Qiantang tide is famed for its powerful “silver thread across the river.” (Image source / ihuawem)
The Qiantang tide’s crossing wave. (Image source / paoshouji)
The Qiantang tide can splash up waves up to 2–3 meters high when crashing onshore. (Image source / sd.bbs.house)
The Qiantang tide's powerful currents cause accidents among spectators every year. (Image source / pic.bbs.hexun)
The Qiantang River is located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and is the largest river in China’s Zhejiang region. Generally, the Qiantang tide occurs from the 1st to the 3rd and the 15th to the 18th of each lunar month, with the most spectacular display on the 18th day of the 8th lunar month. Due to the alignment of the sun, moon, and Earth in a straight line, immense gravitational forces trigger the tidal phenomenon, resulting in the large tide. In addition, the trumpet-shaped mouth of the Qiantang River gradually narrows—from a 100-kilometer difference between the northern and southern banks, to 20 kilometers at the Qiantang estuary, and then down to just 2.5 kilometers at Haining Yanguan. This dramatic narrowing causes the seawater to surge inland, creating the “Qiantang Tide” phenomenon. With the combination of perfect timing and unique geography, this spectacle has earned its place alongside the Amazon and Ganges rivers as one of the world’s three great tidal bores. Among them, the Qiantang tide is hailed as the “world’s largest tidal bore.”
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